“Oh,” he turned the key and started the engine. “I didn’t…know that.”
I dismissed the surprised tone in his voice as he pulled out of the company parking lot and onto the street.
During the drive, I noticed Gavin glancing over at me from time to time. Then he began drumming on the steering wheel to a Calvin Harris song on the radio. I muffled a laugh as he imitated the singer’s voice.
When Gavin hit a falsetto, I couldn’t hold it back anymore. A loud laugh exploded from my belly up. He spun quickly to scold me.
“Hey!”
“I’m sorry.” I held my stomach as I continued to laugh. “That was just too funny.”
Gavin lifted a hand to his chest and pouted. “Oh Julian, that hurts my feelings. I was actually considering auditioning for The Voice, but your mocking doesn’t give me much confidence.”
I laughed even more. “Please don’t. Not a single one of those coaches will turn their chairs for you.”
“Wow!” he blurted out. “You’re harsh. You don’t mince your words, do you?”
Shaking my head, I tried to compose myself as I answered, “No. I’m always honest.”
“That’s good. I like honest people.”
My laughter fizzled in the air completely when Gavin switched the topic. “That was crazy, huh, when Seven and his father were mentioned in the last message of a man that’s been murdered?”
I looked straight ahead as an uncomfortable feeling started to rise in my stomach.
“Yeah, crazy,” I muttered.
“Hmm…especially since you like him.”
I twisted and met his gaze. Gavin flashed me a quick grin before turning his eyes back on the road.
“I don’t—”
“You don’t like him?” Gavin raised his brows and shook his head. “Tsk-tsk, Julian, I thought you were always honest.”
I gulped. “What I mean is, I do like him, as a person.”
He burst out with a sarcastic laugh. “Maybe you are just like your sister, trying hard to hide how you really feel.”
“What is it with you and her anyway?” I’d been curious about their relationship—if they even had one.
Gavin tightened his grip on the steering. “I liked Mackenzie, a lot. She’s the first girl I wanted to get serious with.”
“So?” I urged him on.
“So, she kept pushing me away.” He came to a stop at the lights. “No matter what I did to make her happy, she wouldn’t give us a chance.”
It seemed like he really cared a lot about Mackenzie. I wondered why she never reciprocated those feelings.
As the lights changed to green, he continued on Boston Neck Road and I asked, “How long have you two been…friends?”
Gavin smiled and sank into the seat. “I’ve known her for years. Kenzie and I went to the same schools. We basically grew up together. And when she decided to stay in Rhode Island and go to university here, I did the same. I just wanted to be near her.”
His feelings for her sounded really intense, almost creepy. Then again, who was I to judge when I probably would’ve done that and more for Clyde. When we started dating, I thought I’d die if I went a day without seeing him. Now that I had the chance to seriously reflect on our relationship, it wasn’t as deep as I’d thought.
“So, are you staying for the annual company dinner after all?” he drew me out of my thoughts.
“I’m not sure, things might work out that I don’t stay after this week.”
“That’s too bad,” he murmured.
Looking out the windshield, I noticed Gavin drove past the waterfront community. I assumed he’d simply missed the turn off.
“Oh, the estate was back there.”
“I know,” he grinned.
“Okay…where are you taking me?” I asked in an apprehensive tone.
“C’mon Jules, loosen up a bit,” he proclaimed. “You’re in the nicest part of this state and you aren’t enjoying it. Let’s go have lunch and hang out at the beach.”
Much to my surprise, I smirked at his gesture. “I wouldn’t want to take up any more of your time.”
“My day’s finished, and who said it’s a bad thing if you take up my time.” He looked at me for half a second, smiling.
I relaxed back in the seat and went with the flow. Maybe Gavin was right. I did need to loosen up and clear my mind for a while. I’d probably have clarity after today.
He drove out to Scarborough Beach and we lingered alongside the sea wall, admiring the place. Afterwards, he bought us snacks from a food cart nearby, and then we walked down to the seashore, shoes in hand.
“You never did tell me, Julian…” he looked at me with eyes squinting in the sunlight. It almost made me laugh.
I composed myself and searched my head, trying to remember what he’d asked me before. Finally, I gave up. “Tell you what?”
“What’s in Manhattan that you absolutely have to get back to?”
Gavin pulled on my elbow to stop me from walking and we both plopped down on the sand, cooling down on Del’s frozen lemonades.
“Well?” he eagerly awaited my response.
“I just…like it there,” I said.
“Humph…” he turned and stared out at the ocean, a cruise ship in the distance.
I was perplexed by his short response. “What does that mean?”
Resting the empty cup next to his shoes, Gavin twirled and stared at me with a questioning look on his face. “That just means I don’t believe you, Julian. You didn’t sound very convincing.”
I lowered my eyes and continued slurping on the frozen lemonade, ignoring his words.
“Tell me what you like about it?” he went on. “Tell me what makes it worth returning to?”
I stared at him from sideways as I answered, “I grew up there. It’s my home. My mother’s there, and my—” Whoa, apartment’s gone. So was my boyfriend and best friend. There was no job either. Now that I was seriously thinking about it, what exactly was in Manhattan waiting for me to come back to, aside from my mother?
Nothing.
Realizing the truth, I rubbed the back of my neck and curled my toes in the grainy sand. I felt silly now, trying to speak boldly about a place I was tremendously lonely living in. I hadn’t really rooted myself there as much as I’d believed.
Gavin didn’t allow silence to linger between us. He quickly got to his feet and pulled me up as well. “Let’s go catch a ferry to Block Island.”
Before I could refuse—say I had to catch a bus to go to Providence—he was tugging me off the beach and towards his Jeep.
Block Island turned out to be an interesting tour. I’d relaxed completely in the company of Gavin. By the time we were on a ferry back from the island, I’d started seeing him as a friend. I even spoke freely about how I enjoyed working on the magazine project with Aunt Bev, and how lovely Narragansett truly was.
“So, what else do you like doing? Or what did you do for fun before coming here? It’s summer, so there must be something,” he questioned. Gavin was so interested in knowing things about me. His intentions seemed truly genuine.
“Well,” I leaned over the railing next to him, watching the water dance as the ferry moved through it. “I was working after finishing business school, so I didn’t get to do much, but in high school I…” I trailed, uncertain about sharing something like that with Gavin.
“What happened in high school?” he urged me on.
It was okay, I guessed. I could open up a bit. “I was on the swim team, so I spent most of my free time improving my skills.”
“Oh really? That’s great,” he sounded excited. “We should compete sometime then, see who’s faster—”
“I don’t do it anymore.”
My words wiped the smile off his face.
“How come?” he asked.
“No reason. I’m just done with swimming. It wasn’t something I really did for me.”
“I see. Well, if you ever change your mind.”
<
br /> “I doubt I will,” I muttered under my breath. Gavin didn’t hear me.
By the time we got back to Galilee and started for the estate, the awkwardness had fizzled. We spoke the entire drive back, throwing in a few jokes here and there.
Pulling up at the iron gates, I got out of the car and leaned down at the window. “It was a nice afternoon out, Gavin. Thanks. I really liked it.”
“Anytime,” he beamed. “Besides, I knew you would enjoy this place. It’s simply a matter of who you’re with.”
Dismissing his sarcastic remark, I said, “See you.” Then I moved around his Jeep and walked up to the gates, punching in the security codes.
Gavin called out to me just as the gates opened. “I hope you do stay for the dinner, Julian.”
Rotating, I asked, “Why?”
The sides of his mouth arched into a sly grin. Without answering, Gavin winked at me then drove off, leaving me to wonder what his intentions were.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Later that night, Aunt Bev asked me to join her for dinner. Seven was at the table when I entered the kitchen. He didn’t look at me as I sat down across from him.
“I really wish whatever is going on between you two would end already,” Aunt Bev implored. “It’s making me feel awkward too.”
Seven peered up at her, then he looked at me and asked, “Why were you driving around with Gavin yesterday? He has a thing for Kenzie. Do you know how that looks?”
“How’d you know that?”
He glanced at Aunt Bev. She kept her eyes on her plate and I deciphered what her intentions were in sharing that with Seven. She was trying to make him jealous. Sneaky lady.
“Anyway,” I continued. “We were just hanging out. It’s not a big deal.”
“Well then,” Aunt Bev chipped in. “Let’s finish our meals, shall we?”
With exhaustion imprinted on his face, Seven gazed at me. “Sorry…I’m not even upset with you about keeping my dad’s affair a secret either. It’s just…there’s a lot going on in my life right now.”
Aunt Bev and I stared at each other worriedly. Seven stood and excused himself from the table. “I’m sorry, Aunt Bev. I’m not very hungry.”
“Oh,” she gasped as he moved from the table and headed for the front door.
“I’m going for a walk down on the beach,” he said over his shoulder before leaving.
This time, I didn’t go with him. I had a feeling he wanted to be alone.
After dinner, I decided to watch a movie while Aunt Bev got ready for her date with David. He arrived just as she came down the spiral staircase, looking casual in a floor length, mint green summer dress. Her long, brown hair was let down her back.
“Look at you,” I beamed at her beauty.
“Gorgeous as always,” David praised her.
She tipped her sandals and gave him a peck on the cheek. Before leaving, Aunt Bev turned and said, “If Seven doesn’t come back early enough lock up before you go to bed, all right?”
I nodded and waved them off. “I know, Aunt Bev. Have fun.”
They left and I went back to the movie. It wasn’t so enjoyable though—especially watching it alone. Eventually, I turned off the television, locked the front door, and then headed to my room.
I took a cold shower before going to bed. When I came back to the room, I turned off the air conditioning and opened the sliding doors to let in the cool air from the ocean, slipping under the covers in nothing but my underwear right after.
Later in the night, I woke up to weird sounds coming from outside my room. I rolled over and looked at the clock on the table next to my bed. It was a little past midnight.
Getting up, I walked over and closed the sliding doors to the balcony. The noises continued. It sounded like someone was shuffling about in the living room. It couldn’t have been Aunt Bev, because she and David were attending some live musical show in Foxwoods and would probably stay overnight at the resort.
I hauled on a long t-shirt and tip-toed to my room door, opening it slowly. Stepping into the passage, I took my time sneaking towards the living room.
As I got to the arched doorway, I picked up a fire poker from the corner, scanning the dark living room to locate where the sound was coming from. Years of living in the city had taught me that a girl must always be prepared, no matter where she was.
Gripping my fingers tightly around the metal, I straightened as I heard the shuffling again. Startled, my eyes peered open. I looked around to the right side of the room and saw that it was the curtain blowing up and pulling on one of Aunt Bev’s artwork.
A sea of relief washed over me. I let out a giggle, feeling silly for being so scared. Then I walked over and closed the window. When I turned to head back to my room, a dark figure sprang out of the shadows and grabbed me, pushing me backwards against the wall.
“Ah!” I screamed.
He covered my mouth with one hand, muffling my screams, and restrained me with the other. He was impeccably strong.
I squirmed as he pressed his body against mine. He tilted his head and lowered his nose to my neck as if inhaling my scent. That only intensified my struggle to break free. If I didn’t, this monster was possibly going to rape me.
Just as his legs spread apart and he pushed harder, I managed to quickly lift a leg and knee him hard in the groin. His grip loosened and he bent over and grabbed himself in agony. Then I clasped my fists together and hammered him in the back. He dropped to the floor. I hurdled over his body and ran into the kitchen, pressing on the security alarm by the telephone.
The entire estate lit up as a loud sound echoed all around. I pulled out a knife and stood behind the island, shaking, yet preparing for another attack. He quickly got off the floor and bustled out the front door.
Still trembling in fear, I kept the knife in my hand and waited for the police to show up. I jumped as Mackenzie ran into the guesthouse, a frightened Marlene behind her.
Mackenzie scurried over to me. “What’s going on, Julian?” she asked, slowly taking the knife out of my hand. “What happened?”
When I didn’t answer, she settled the knife down on top of the counter and touched my hand lightly. I flinched and threw my arms around her, hugging her tightly like a terrified child.
She patted my back and whispered, “It’s okay. You’re all right.”
A little after, the police showed up. And as they took our statements, Seven came back to the guesthouse. He was oblivious to what was going on. I was curious about where he’d been all night and why he wasn’t here to help me.
The police seized him at the door and questioned him. He quickly explained who he was, hurrying over to my side as soon as they let him through.
“Julian, what happened?” he asked, sitting down beside me on the sectional sofa.
I narrowed my eyes as I looked up at him. “Where were you?” My words stung.
“Yeah, Seven. Where were you?” Mackenzie piped in.
He glanced back and forth between us. “I went for a walk down the beach, then I went to see a friend.” He touched my arms. “What happened, Jules?”
I eased away from him and peered down at the rug beneath my bare feet. “There was someone here. He tried to…” my voice cracked up and I couldn’t finish.
Seven covered my hands and asked through gritted teeth, “Did you see who it was? Did you make anything out?”
Right now I was so mad at him. On the night he left me alone, I was attacked. Then a horrible thought crept into my mind. What if it was Seven?
After the police left, Marlene closed the door and came over to me. “Okay, show’s over,” she said in the most inconsiderate tone ever. “They’re going to keep a watch on the place for the night so you can just go to bed now.”
Mackenzie unfolded her arms. “Mom, seriously?” she scolded her in my defense. Mackenzie’s attitude towards me seemed to have changed for the better. It took a terrifying event for that to happen.
“She was just
attacked. Do you think this is some act?” she continued.
“Of course not,” Marlene touched her chest, faking sympathy. “Believe me, I know how horrifying it is to have your comfort and security taken away from you.” She eyed me with disinterest.
Rising to his feet, Seven walked over to the front door. He opened it then growled, “Get out.”
Marlene’s mouth opened wide. She was utterly appalled. Letting out a loud scoff, she marched out. Seven slammed it behind her.
The air was dreadfully quiet afterwards so I decided to go to my room and lie down. Getting up from the sofa, I headed towards the passage.
Just as Seven was about to say something to me, Mackenzie spoke first. “Do you want me to stay with you tonight, Julian?”
I stared back at her in disbelief. Nodding, I breathed out my reply, “Thank you.”
Mackenzie sauntered over to me and placed her hand at my back, walking with me to my room. Seven stayed behind.
Slipping into bed, Mackenzie brought the covers over my frightened body and tucked me in. She was the most compassionate she’d ever been towards me. It moved my heart. I wanted her to stay like this tomorrow, and the days to come.
“Are you going to be okay? Do you need anything?” she asked for the umpteenth time.
I shuddered as I answered, “I’m okay.”
Mackenzie went over to the loveseat by the sliding doors and placed the painting in the corner of the room so she could lie down. She kept a watchful eye on me.
I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to block out the night’s events. His heavy breathing on my neck and him pressing against my body kept coming back to me, no matter how I fought it.
“Julian,” Mackenzie’s soft voice calmed me.
Opening my eyes, I stared into hers. “Hmm?”
“I never hated you,” she exhaled. “I was jealous of you.”
I eased my head up off the pillow a bit, amazed. “Jealous. Why?”
Taking a deep sigh, Mackenzie closed her eyes and drifted asleep without answering. Maybe I already knew the answer. It was strange that she’d been jealous of me when it was quite the opposite. I’d been envious of her, living here with our father and getting to know him. Then again, looking at her beautiful yet sorrowful face now while she slept, it seemed Mackenzie wasn’t happy at all.
Finding Julian Page 13